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A good babysitter can be hard to find, but there are some telltale signs that you've hired a winner (or loser). Look for the following follow-up clues to help you determine whether she's a keeper.

Your child's well-rested and in a good mood the next day. This probably means your sitter stuck to your bedtime instructions. If, on the other hand, your critter wakes up cranky and out of sorts, the sitter may have put him to bed later than you asked.

Your kid's clean. A sticky, grimy child could be the result of a super-fun night with no time to wash up. Or it could be that the babysitter was too lazy to give him a bath or at least a wipe-down before bedtime.

The house is as tidy as you left it. A good babysitter is respectful of your home. Give brownie points (and future jobs) to a teenage sitter who leaves the place in the same — or even better — condition than you left it: washing dishes she used, picking up scattered toys, taking out the trash.

She can give you a rundown of the evening's activities. You don't need a second-by-second account, but a good babysitter can tell you what she and your child were up to for most of the night: what snacks he ate, what games they played, and what time she put him to bed.

She's not glued to her laptop or phone. Of course, you want the sitter to have her cell turned on so you can reach her. But if you get the sense that she whiled away the hours chatting on Facebook or texting her friends instead of interacting with your child, you may want to look for another teenage babysitter.

Your child is excited about the sitter coming back. Your tot's attitude can really help you figure out if you've landed a good babysitter. If he talks about the fun time they had, or seems thrilled about the possibility of her return, chances are you chose the right babysitter.

She checks with you on sticky situations. If there's a house rule she's not sure about — like whether your child's allowed to watch a PG movie or have ice cream before bed — and she calls you to find out, rather than winging it, you've got a winner.

She genuinely seems to like your child. It's a sweet bonus when your little one and his sitter hit it off like old friends. If that happens, pat yourself on the back for finding a good teenage babysitter and start planning many more nights on the town.

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